The Browns’ naughty and nice list

December 9, 2012

As the holiday season is rolling around, children across the world are making their lists to send to Santa Claus. They are rushing to their various shopping centers to get in front of Ol' Saint Nick to let him know what they would like to open on Christmas morning.

As adults, our Christmas lists aren't as extensive as ones of a 10-year-old who wants a new video game system and 10 games to go along with it. Our lists become quite boring and are even non-existent.

But as sports fans, our lists seem to grow from year to year. The range of lists can vary from tickets to a game to wanting new personnel to run their favorite organization. For a Cleveland sports fan, it's not so much a Christmas list, but a Christmas novel, as the pages needed to write down everything wanted can verge on the length of the book "War and Peace."

However, once the lists are sent to the North Pole, Santa must go through and decide who's been naughty and who's been nice this year. Luckily for Mr. Claus, it was easy to decide within the Cleveland Browns' organization who is getting a shiny new toy or a lump of coal this year.

NAUGHTY: Pat Shurmur.

Some Browns fans want Shurmur to get a pink slip in place of his lump of coal, and with new owner Jimmy Haslam officially now in charge, it could very well happen.

Shurmur's Christmas gift was pretty much wrapped and tagged after the Browns' loss to the New York Giants. The third-and-1 play in which Shurmur pulled running back Trent Richardson and opted for a pass (which was intercepted and changed the momentum of the game) might have been the stupidest play call of his career.

Even if the Browns are able to win today, and put together the first three-game winning streak since the 2009 season, it's probably not enough to save Shurmur's job.

Getting the coal is a given on Christmas morning, and by New Years' Day the gift could become a box to pack up his office.

NICE: Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner.

With his purchase of the Cleveland Browns, Haslam has breathed new life into the city that desperately needs a change of pace. When he brought in Joe Banner to replace Mike Holmgren as the team's president, the collective cheers could be heard from the shores of Lake Erie.

Ever year, usually around Thanksgiving, Browns faithful start saying the phrase, "Is it next year yet?" or "Well, at least we'll have a good draft slot." If the Browns finish with five wins, they will get a good draft pick yet again - and now have two guys at the top of the pyramid that are determined to make something out of this reeling organization.

Just for energizing the city, Haslam and Banner deserve a huge present under the tree. If they make Cleveland a winning franchise within a year or two, they could have anything they wanted to from the city - Browns fans would buy it from them.

NICE: Joe Thomas

For his words this week about former Browns' running back Peyton Hillis, Thomas deserves whatever he asked Santa for on Christmas. Because in today's politically correct, coach-speak, worried about getting fined world, Thomas spoke the truth. And it was great to hear real words out of a players' mouth.

Letting Browns' fans know that Hillis did quit on the team last year and was playing for himself and not the rest of his team was exactly what Browns fans needed to hear. And saying it in a way that was honest and truthful, without being overly rude or degrading, showed a true leader in Thomas.

He by far has been the best draft pick since the Browns came back in 1999 on the field. And with his words this week, he has become the best player off the field as well.